Adventures in Dollhouse Restoration

Rosalie Whyel Museum Dollhouse

Ariyah — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 01:39:34 +0000

Seattle is a town of two seasons: rainy and not rainy. The rains are here again, and I’d promised myself I’d spend the next rainy Sunday my sweetie’s out of town at the Rosalie Whyel Museum of Doll Art. Located just outside of Seattle in Bellevue, the museum itself is like a real Victorian dollhouse. What a loss this “mecca for doll collectors and enthusiasts” must shut its doors from lack of funding after almost two decades next Spring.

Photography isn’t allowed inside (for good reason), but I did find a snapshot of the fantastic and lovingly crafted dollhouse in the back of the lobby. That the museum lobby even is studded with such gems attests to the impressive quality and quantity of total inventory.

If I recall correctly, this dollhouse has more than a dozen rooms and is attentive to detail down to usable miniature toilet paper.

Make sure you visit the Rosalie Whyel Museum of Doll Art before Spring 2012 if you’re in the Seattle area!

Imagination Mall

Ariyah — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 03:08:51 +0000

An excellent list of miniatures shops and networks for dorks like me: The Imagination Mall. One of the listings is for Dijon Limited in the UK, which currently features these garden treasures:

the gnomes know!

I know, I know, I need to post on my restoration progress. I’m again on the job search and just got back from France avec Maman. Stay tuned!

Rockin’ the Casbah with Sherbert Colors

Ariyah — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 01:03:55 +0000

Surfing Etsy, I stopped by CasbahMinis’s shop for new fine furnitures finds. This pairing’s interesting – stoic, square black velvet against brilliant raspberry, lemon and orange. As the description reads, “these pieces pair beautifully with the Maharaja’s Princess bed,” which I profiled a few posts ago. Hot!

$85.00 for the pair.

Black Velvet & Sherbert Satin Sofa and Chair

Creative Curtain Rods

Ariyah — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 02:13:15 +0000

While pondering how I might decorate my Seattle apartment – which I’m supposed to leave unblemished and hence curtain-free – I stumbled across some creative curtain ideas, including this branch-turned-rod one. Just dust off (no buggies!), spray paint, and mount as you wish.

Ideally you wouldn’t actually move the drapes so you wouldn’t scrape any wood particles off the “hardware” and onto your head. Might actually work for a dollhouse, too – and be more practical decor there.

Fashion a Rod from a Branch!

Eat Your Heart Out Donald Trump

Ariyah — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 04:12:10 +0000

33 rooms, a house to die for!

Its creator, Kathleen Gilbert, is looking for the Gilbert Mansion, which was last spotted on eBay in 2007. Seven feet long, six feet tall, 2.5 feet wide. Oh yeah!

Thanks Sumaiya Mehreen for the report.

Gilbert Mansion

Cool Architecture & Design News Blog

Ariyah — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 03:05:46 +0000

I was poking around the web for European floor plans (French country actually) and came across http://www.nikiomahe.com/. The blog showcases modern architectural marvels, including sustainably certified elements that are only just arriving in the US.

Maharaja’s Princess Bed

Ariyah — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:55:22 +0000

I know, I know, I’ve been working too hard (at Re-Vision Labs – check out our cool site!) and the weather’s starting to get lovely again (it’s Seattle… we have 1. rainy season and 2. sunny season). Those are my reasons/excuses for not playing with my house and telling you about it. Though I’ve finally cleaned up the dining room, and hope to work on it one small part at a time.

For your amusement, I found this on Etsy. Hand-crafted luxe!

Maharaja Princess Bed

“Hand finished to deep ebony lustre and detailed with 24k gold, this bed is dressed in black velvet and gold floral brocade, skirted with vintage Asian fabric elements and finished with various trimmed pillows in raspberry, lemon and lime, a vintage Asian fabric piece, then topped with a raspberry throw. This piece coordinates nicely with the Black Velvet & Sherbet sofa and chair set.”

$120 USD… expensive taste, no?

Happy Hearts Day, Friends!

Ariyah — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 00:12:03 +0000

It’s drizzling today in Seattle but on this Valentine’s Day, the sun is shining nonetheless. My sweetheart and I went for a long walk around Lake Washington and took a break on the waterfront to watch a little one throw bread pieces for the ducks’ enjoyment while her papa happily watched. And wouldn’t you know, a guy behind us got down on one knee and proposed to his pretty lady. Later a guy with a professional camera who’d been out for fun snapped shots of them, insisting the moment should be commemorated – what a nice impromptu gift from a stranger.

Your sweetheart will appreciate all of your gifts. Here are some Valentine project ideas for mini-gifts should your sweetheart – that is, someone else, or yourself (spoil yourself if you’re single!) – adore miniatures.

Living Decor from (Real-Size) Palmer Weiss

Ariyah — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 01:30:15 +0000

How muted is too muted for dollhouse decor? The pale palette of Palmer Weiss’ arrangement blew me away when I saw it on Odi et Amo. When a still life treats you like a leaf, you know you’ve gotta install it somewhere else. It’s too delicate for Chanel’s tromping around, no? Candlewood then!

Palmer Weiss Living

Boosting Productivity – Without Caffeine

Ariyah — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:01:39 +0000

156,600 people are subscribed to Leo Babauta’s “Zen Habits” blog, making his one of the most popular blogs in the world. Whenever I’m feeling less than excited to progress on the dollhouse restoration project, I check it and am usually re-reminded of what being a good project manager means.

Even though I’m the customer, I’m sure some family member (not yet born, probably) will get this house, and maybe a reader or two (hi Chanel! hi Mom!) actually cares if I pull through, so I should light a fire under it and get her done.

See Leo’s Task Ninja: Form the Action Habit post if you need some spunk.

Victorian Relief - or get some!